"Three years ago, landlords heard about places called coworking and they were dismissive of it," Mooz said at a meeting of the National Association of Real Estate Editors this week in Austin. "It's gone from something people weren't completely sold to something we have to have it.

"There are employers that won't go into a building that is not represented with a coworking component."

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Shared office companies have gobbled up almost 3 million square feet of Dallas-area office space in the last few years. And nationally, they are second only to tech firms in leasing offices.

Mooz said Hines' new coworking concept "is going to be employed on a large scale."

The developer plans to expand flexible office programs to such markets as Atlanta, Boston, Denver, New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area and Washington, D.C.

As it grows, the Hines² platform will leverage Hines' global footprint and span markets in North America, Europe, Asia and South America.

Hines partner Industrious has more than 80 locations in more than 40 U.S. cities, including two in North Texas: one in downtown Dallas' Arts District and another in Plano.

"Over the past six years, we've been laser-focused on understanding the evolving needs of the modern occupier and developing workspaces that fit their needs," said Jamie Hodari, CEO and co-founder of Industrious. "Partnering with Hines to bring their Hines² vision to life allows us to expand on our mission of making people proud and excited to come to work."

Hines is one of the country's largest owners and developers of office space. The company is about to start work on a building in Dallas' Deep Ellum district.

Hines isn't the only commercial real estate firm to make a move in the shared office sector.

CBRE is launching a nationwide coworking chain called Hana with the first location in Dallas.

Hines first coworking centers will be in Houston and Salt Lake City.(Hines)